a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing rods, and more particularly, fishing rods constructed from bamboo.
b. Background Art
Fishing rods made of cane have been in use for centuries. Calcutta cane was first used in the 17th century, and until the early 1850's most fishing rods were typically made of a solid piece of tapered wood. Over the years, bamboo has been a material that some manufacturers of rods have never completely abandoned. A small, but significant, number of enthusiastic rod makers have continued to use bamboo, most in traditional ways, even though synthetic materials are available.
Fly-fishing requires a rod that casts a weighted line and its attached fly, to a targeted fish. The fly is essentially a lure, sometimes imitating food for a fish. It is delivered despite wind or adverse weather, around or close to obstacles such as brush or trees, in a manner over distance and with controllable accuracy in a way that does not spook the fish. The speed at which the line travels smoothly determines the carry distance of the fly. The ability of the rod to turn over the line and impart speed smoothly to it is termed its rod action, and conveys the impression of power and control to the user. Although tapered bamboo sticks of the distant past could theoretically achieve this function, most were heavy and not straight, strong, or flexible enough to satisfy the demands of the time.
In the 1850's bamboo culms (the living, then harvested sticks or poles) were first split into strips then straightened, tapered and glued together to provide a splined rod with a solid core. The weight and length of such rods was a distinct disadvantage and the action was correspondingly ponderous. E. C. Powell in 1933, (U.S. Pat. No. 1,932,986) used scalloped bamboo to produce internal reinforcement and decrease rod weight. A variety of tapers were also created, to adjust stiffness and casting performance, a design variant that is still used today, even with synthetic materials such as graphite. Between 1910 and 1950, manufacturers of rods tried alternative materials including steel, which was found to be predictably heavy and would vibrate when cast. Bamboo rod design was influenced by the replacement of animal-hide based glues with synthetic glues and by the availability of improved external finishes. In the early 1940's fiberglass was introduced into rod manufacture, which allowed tubular rod construction and shorter manufacturing time. In the late 1940's to early 1950's fiberglass was combined with polyester and phenolic resins, and the consistency of products made from these materials was quite variable.
In 1946, Stoner (U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,488) patented a new bamboo fishing rod made from splines that had been sculpted and glued to form a polygonal shape with a fluted hollow core. Stoner's design resulted in a lighter, stronger rod. Although the action was improved, the rods were still heavy compared to fiberglass, particularly for extended continuous use. Straightening the assembled bamboo rod blank during many of the steps involved in its production also remains a chore accepted as normal practice with traditional assembly techniques. Fiberglass rods were produced by being wrapped around a mandrel, and the rods were hollow, light and strong and required no straightening as a separate step. The tapers were improved, and as these became more consistent, rods were produced which cast better and required less skill and experience to cast well. By the early 1970's, fiberglass had captured a sizable portion of the fly rod market. There was a corresponding feeling that some of the craftsmanship in rod making had been lost by using the synthetics, and indeed a small number of bamboo devotees persisted in using and producing rods that came increasingly to be regarded as collectors items.
Different types of glass were used later in the 1970's, and graphite was then introduced. It was powerful and fast in terms of action, much easier to learn to cast well, and particularly quick to manufacture, but was notably fragile and prone to sudden breakage. Boron was also tried and was more resistant to breakage, but prohibitively expensive to produce. All the synthetic materials such as fiberglass, graphite, or boron require a chemical and/or heat process to produce the raw material and each fiber produced is fairly uniform in cross-section, but tiny. Synthetics lack the esthetic appearance and “feel” of natural bamboo and are usually limited to somber colors, unless painted or tinted.
It is with this background in mind that the instant invention was developed.